The Isaacs Explained

The Isaacs
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genre:Southern gospel, Bluegrass, Country
Years Active:1987-present
Label:Horizon, Gaither, K-Tel, Spring Hill, Isaacs House
Current Members:Lily Isaacs
Ben Isaacs
Sonya Isaacs
Becky Isaacs
Past Members:John Bowman
Jimmy Yeary
Levi Bowman
Joe Isaacs
Thomas Wywrot
Tim Surrett

The Isaacs are a bluegrass Southern gospel music group consisting of mother Lily Isaacs (b. September 20, 1947), daughters Becky (b. Aug. 2, 1975) and Sonya Isaacs (b. July 22, 1974) and son Ben Isaacs (b. July 25, 1972), along with John Bowman (husband of Becky Isaacs) as an instrumentalist and songwriter. Joe Isaacs, formerly a singer and banjo player in the group, has left since his 1998 divorce from Lily Isaacs. He now does solo work on a far more localized level.

Former Kingsmen Quartet bass player, lead singer and baritone Tim Surrett was a member of group from 1997 until 2002. Surrett was married to Sonya Isaacs during this time period. Thomas Wywrot was a member from 2008 to 2011. Sonya Isaacs' husband, Jimmy Yeary, took his place.[1]

Currently, the Isaacs consists of Sonya Isaacs Yeary, Lily Isaacs, Becky Isaacs Bowman and Ben Isaacs. On August 10, 2021, they were invited to become members of the Grand Ole Opry.[2]

History

The group's roots go back to 1971,[3] when Joe and Lily Isaacs began a bluegrass band. Lily's parents are Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors. A few years after they were liberated from a concentration camp in Germany in 1945, her parents moved two year old Lily to New York City, where, in 1958, she got a recording contract with Columbia Records and started performing in night clubs. While performing with his Kentucky band at the Gerde's Folk City, Joe met Lily and they were married in 1970. After Joe's brother died in an automobile accident, Joe and Lily became Christians, and the group began to perform only bluegrass gospel music.[4] The group was initially named the Calvary Mountain Boys and later became Sacred Bluegrass before settling on the family name, the Isaacs. The group performed primarily on weekends, part-time, until 1986.[5] As their son and daughters became old enough, they joined the group.[6]

In 1992, the Isaacs moved from Morrow, Ohio, and settled in LaFollette, Tennessee.

Recording

As the Calvary Mountain Boys and Sacred Bluegrass, the group recorded for Pine Tree and Old Homestead labels. As the Isaacs, they had more success with Morning Star Records and Horizon record labels.

Discography

Albums

YearAlbumPeak chart positionsProducerLabel
ChristianCountryHeatBluegrass
1992Live In AtlantaHorizon
1994Carry MeTony Rice Horizon
1995I Feel the Christmas Spirit
1996Live: Mountain PraiseKim Ryan
1997BridgesBen Isaacs
The Very Best of The IsaacsK-Tel
1998Increase My FaithHorizon
1999Pieces of Our PastBen Isaacs
2001Stand StillBen Isaacs
2002Christmas SpiritBen Isaacs, Tony Rice
Eye of the StormBen Isaacs
2003Songs of the Faith14Ben Isaacs
2004Heroes194531Don Cook Gaither
2005Bluegrass PreservedHorizon
Radio Hits
Lily
Isaacs Bluegrass: A Cappella
2006Isaacs Bluegrass: Sonya
2007Big Sky214823Mark Bright Gaither
2009Naturally: An Almost A Cappella Collection25121Bill Gaither, Ben Isaacs Spring Hill
2010Christmas3152
2011Why Can't We47253
2013The Living Years101Gaither
2016Nature's Symphony in 4323Isaacs House
2018Favorites: Revisited By RequestGaither
2020Songs for the TimesIsaacs House
2021The American Face

Video

Gaither Homecoming video performances

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. The awards were established in 1958. The Isaacs have been nominated three times.|-|2016|Nature's Symphony In 432| rowspan=3| Best Roots Gospel Album||-|2018|Favorites: Revisited By Request ||-|2022|Songs for the Times|

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jimmy Yeary Joins The Isaacs | The Southern Gospel Music Magazine . SingingNews.com . 2011-08-30 . 2012-07-06 . 2011-10-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111017015300/http://www.singingnews.com/Southern-Gospel-News/11655741/ . dead .
  2. Web site: Grand Ole Opry invites the Isaacs to become newest member.
  3. News: Etienne . Vanessa . The Isaacs Premiere 'The American Face' Music Video: 'United We Stand' . 12 July 2021 . PEOPLE.com . en.
  4. News: BARCLAY . BRITTANY . The Isaacs to bring bluegrass gospel to The Pines . 12 July 2021 . The Lufkin Daily News . en.
  5. News: Gilmore . Justin . The Year Of Jubilee: A Conversation with Lily Isaacs of the Isaacs . 12 July 2021 . Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital . 25 February 2017.
  6. Book: McNeil . W. K. . Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music . 2013 . Routledge . 9781135377007 . 196 . 5 July 2018 . en.